Ares Anata
]] Ares Anata is the vampiric son of Clea and Naram-Sin Anata. Ares was turned into a vampire at twenty-five years of age and is eighty-five years old in ''Detective Docherty and the Demon's Tears''. While Ares accepted acknowledgements for creating a self-replicating blood that helped eliminate the need for blood donors and allowed vampires to come out to the public, after accepting a Nobel prize, he and his family stepped out of public view. Thanks to the acquired wealth of his family, Ares is able to maintain a luxurious lifestyle. In addition to owning multiple hospitals and medical companies globally with his family, Ares is also a university professor and local businessman in Toronto; even owning the building he lives in. Despite this however, Ares and his family live more humbly than might be expected. While Ares enjoys theater, classical music, expensive clothing, and employs a small staff, he and his family do not flaunt their wealth. Because of his long lifespan and largely in part because of his personality, Ares stays employed part-time as a chemistry professor and assistant detective. His predatory nature, heightened senses, and obsessive personality and attention to detail make him an ideal investigator. At present it is unclear how Ares and the detective met or why he started working at the agency. In addition, there is no current explanation for his undying devotion to the kooky and absentminded detective he or why he sometimes supports him financially. More Info and Spoilers Early on in the series Ares develops feelings for Alexandria. When the young witch initially joins the detective agency, Ares is suspicious of her and forms an infatuation with her, bordering on obsession.It becomes clear to Ares, after Alexandria saves him from the destructive forces of the sun (Book I), that he has in fact developed feelings for her. Feelings he struggles with throughout the series as they currently do not seem to be reciprocated. Prior to meeting Alexandria, Ares kept to a small circle of socializing that only involved his family (who live outside of the country), the Detective, and teaching. It is unclear why the vampire is so infatuated with her as the two could not be more opposite. While Ares is often depicted as being tidy, bordering on OCD, and is secretive and introverted, Alexandria on the other hand is an open book, wears mismatched clothes, and is often surrounded by friends and family-- to the point of being overwhelmed. While Ares is often viewed as having a large ego and classifying vampires above all other species, he sometimes surprises readers with his gentle side and a devotion to those he loves. Vampires are not known for their kindness nor are they known for being anything other than solitary. Most vampires do not socialize with their own kind, save for their parent vampire or Maker. The Anata family is peculiar in that Clea and Naram-Sin's relationship has lasted as long as it has. In addition, the Anata's adopted a human child, raised it, and then turned it into a vampire which is also very uncommon. Most vampires turn lovers and friends, not those they view as children. Major Spoilers In Detective Docherty and the Vampire's Mirror, Ares releases a true vampyre, killing around a hundred humans, otherkin, and fairy, and almost killing his friends. It is revealed later that the true vampyre had always been able to come out of the mirror, but that she did not want to physically leave until she saw Ares. While it is originally believed that true vampyres and turned vampires did not develop romantic feelings for one another, as turned vampires were once considered servants and slaves, it is clear that Bianca (the true vampyre) had developed feelings for Ares. It is possible that because she had been asleep in the mirror for so long and because she was the last of her kind that she formed an attachment to him, but it is unclear. Because of her nature and infatuation with him, Bianca sought to eliminate everyone Ares was close to, including and especially, Alexandria. Throughout the book Ares is secretive, not only about the mirror he took, but also about the strange dreams he'd been having and eventually his hallucinations. His hallucinations were so strong, the reader does not know whether Ares had killed people or whether the true vampyre made him believe he did. Because of this, Ares struggles seriously with who he is and wishes to redeem himself in book III. While Bianca had a powerful hold over him using her magick, in the end Ares was able to overcome her and his desire to please her (which is innate in all turned vampires, specifically the creator of their blood line-- though to date Naram-Sin has never revealed the creator of their bloodline). When told to kill the woman he loved and seeing his friends in danger, Ares chose to trap Bianca instead, saving everyone. It was a moment of clarity between Ares and the Detective which helped him: "'Ares,' Docherty said, 'it is not about what you were made to be, or what you should be, it is about who you want to be. Don’t let someone else define who you are.'” - Detective Docherty and the Vampire's Mirror His love for Alexandria and his love for his friend overcame the urge to feed and his dark nature, however his actions leading up to the battle with the true vampyre left a rift in the group. After learning what the young vampire had done, the Detective threatens that if Ares should ever harm is daughter again, he will cut off his head and burn the ashes. Meanwhile Alexandria has taken a temporary leave of absence from the agency. Despite this however, Ares remains loyal to the Detective and his job as a paranormal investigator, though he is warned by his mother that his struggle with his bloodlust is not over.